The Shit You See
by The Man With a Pen
Summary: My name is Chek Williams, I entered the Vale Response Team as apart of their joint Law Enforcement - Military operations. I joined because I knew I had the skill and wanted to make a difference in the city I grew up in... In the streets I used to walk. Now all I see are riots, bodies, crime, disorder, and things I can't even describe. You wouldn't believe the shit you'll see/hiatus
1. Chapter 1

**I'll keep this quick, I have received lots of criticism(primarily through PM) regarding my treatment of RWBY and its characters. To which I say, I understand my stories aren't for everyone, however, if you have a problem with my writing and how I portray the realism and dark, gritty, nature of certain situations I have rated my stories M for this reason and recommend you should read the ratings on the story before reading them.**

**Now, given the absolutely ludicrous amount of praise and interest on the other hand regarding my crossover I decided why the hell not and would do another one. This won't be a common thing, but while I'm working on my Avatar fic I figured another one wouldn't hurt. I also recommend you read that one.**

**Anyway… Let's begin.**

Chapter 1

Election Year

The inside of the armored vehicle rattled like a tin can, a team of 6 Operators all decked out in Navy blue shirts and pants accompanied by black rifles, black helmets, black tinted goggles, black gloves, black chest pieces, black knee pads, and you get the picture. Despite the threatening contents inside this metaphorical can of whoop-ass, there sat a man dressed in a pristine black suit and tie that cost more than these guys would make in their lifetimes. He was drawn into his phone while a voice chatted away on a wireless earpiece on his right side. Funny enough, his bald head actually shone slightly under the interior light of the truck.

Now one might be wondering, what the fuck is happening and who the fuck are you? My name is Chek Williams, though most guys just call me Chek. I was a new member of the VRT, Vale Response Team, a military/law enforcement hybrid that was used for special assignments. Given the weird state of Vale over the past few decades, the Armed Forces have been weirdly implemented into the Police Force. Not like Marshal Law, but because their simply weren't any wars to fight, half the time the Vale Army just ended up being the backup to Police raids that got too frisky or, for a case such as myself, they'd pull guys from the Army. Shit's weird… I know, even I don't fully understand it.

As the ride began getting longer, and frankly more boring, my team leader, a career soldier by the name of Kelly Daniels, pressed down on his push-to-talk and radioed in to the driver. "How long Briggs, I'm starting to get nervous?" The truck came to an abrupt halt as a sudden shock and a muffled sound could be heard through the thick metal walls. "Briggs?" Another long pause followed, Kelly's thumb began slowly moving to his safety switch on the side of his Mk18 before Briggs responded. "Just a protest of Faunus, diverting to the secondary route." With the explanation given he relaxed backwards as the long ride continued. Our secondary route would take about 30 minutes more but would be a lot better than trying to split the protest blocking the streets.

"Hey, we gonna get this show on the road. I've got a meeting with my campaign directors in 10 minutes?" The politician seemed annoyed at us for some reason for the delay. Frankly, I couldn't really blame him, the truck was hot and very cramped we all wanted off this ride. It was at this time Kelly raised his hand to calm the gentleman. "Sir, we're simply taking extra precautions to ensure your safety. We'll be at the destination short-" It was at that moment a loud explosion could be heard in front of us. Our heads all perked up as the synchronized sound of safeties being switched off echoed inside the compartment. "LEAD VEHICLE JUST TOOK A FUCKING ROCKE-!" As the driver finished his sentence a sudden force rammed into our vehicle and knocked us on our side. We could hear shooting outside and began moving towards the door to begin securing the area.

My ears were ringing and my head was throbbing, I steadied my wobbling MICH helmet and began climbing out of the truck as the setting sun illuminated the streets near the harbor. My boots hit the concrete, I raised my rifle and began moving towards the nearest piece of cover. Our rear vehicle, a black Sudan, had 4 dead officers surrounding it. I took in the whole scene from behind the hood of a parked car on the side of the street and noticed that a giant semi-truck had rammed into our vehicle. It had a massive red container on its ramp and from the back of the cargo container, White Fang soldiers began pouring out and moving towards us like sharks to blood. "Omega, weapons free, light 'em up!" Kelly called while picking off 2 soldiers who had rushed up to far and to early than the rest of their comrades. I followed his lead and double-tapped a rifleman who had peeked out of cover and was firing from the hip. A pink mist flew out behind him as his legs collapsed and his body went limp, folding like a lawn chair onto the ground.

"Dispatch, convoy has been engaged, 2 vehicles are down but VIP is still secure. We need backup now!" One of my teammates radioed in while taking cover behind the armored truck we'd arrived in. "Hey on the roof, left side!" Another voice I couldn't make out called from a position I didn't know. I looked up and without a doubt there were a pair of gunman firing down on us, I opened fire but with the stress and adrenaline I missed my first shot and clipped one of them on the shoulder. They both ducked into cover and I began suppressing while the rest of my team began pushing the White Fang on the street further back.

"Suppressing!" I shouted while emptying my magazine with each pull of the trigger, I could see their heads coming up only to shoot back down as another round whizzed over them. "Bounding!" Kellys yelled as another operator pushed forward to an overturned car and took up firing positions there. They then proceeded to lay down their own suppressing fire while I pushed up past them and towards the end of the cargo container that was surrounded by White Fang bodies. Alongside me were 4 other VRT members, scanning the dead and checking the bodies, plenty of them were still clutching their rifles as they were strewn out across the street in awkward positions. We stacked up on the end of the semi-truck and prepped a stun grenade as we could hear the shuffling of feet inside. "3, 2,1… Tossing stun!" I quickly reached around the side of the open container and whipped the grenade inside, I heard a loud bang and we pushed in. 5 gunmen were clutching their ears and blinking rapidly while stumbling around like a drunk guy in a pub. I rested my weapons sights onto their chests, hesitating for only a moment hoping they'd surrender.

They quickly dropped to their knees as did their weapons, with raised hands and dazed eyes we heard them crying out for us not to shoot. "GET ON THE FUCKING GROUND!" "DON'T MOVE!" "KEEP YOUR HANDS UP!" A symphony of loud voices echoed inside the container as we began arresting each one of them. The clicking and clacking of handcuffs. "Williams, grab someone and move to the roof. These fuckers are dug in like ticks!" I grabbed my push-to-talk and began transmitting, "Copy Kelly, just keep 'em suppressed" I pointed over to the only other guy I remembered the name of, Hendricks, I think it was? "Hendricks, your with me we're dealing with those guys on the roof." He simply nodded his head as we moved into the small corner shop across from the docks. We moved in and found at least 6 civilians all on the floor covering their heads, glass shards all over them. "Police, remain calm, stay down!" I shouted as we moved over the desk of the small cafe and into the backroom. Technically, I wasn't ever made an officer I was Army after all but it's standard procedure, the merge has always been weird. We found our way to a small staircase and began moving up slowly, as we reached the top we could still hear gunfire coming from the other side of the door that lead onto the roof. I waited for the squeeze under my leg as I stood in front of the door and once I felt it I kicked the door wide open as me and Hendricks both pushed onto the roof and aimed our weapons at the pair of shooters.

"GET ON THE FUCKING GROUN-!" I didn't get to finish my sentence as one of the shooters, a deer faunus with a brown complexion, shot me right in the chest and I hit the ground quickly. 2 quick shots rang out afterwards and Hendricks dropped down beside me, pulling out a first aid kit. I was in immense pain but I could tell the plate caught the bullet just fine. "I'm fine… Just gimme a minute…" I wheezed out between breaths before grabbing my radio and calling it in. "Omega actual… Shooters are neutralized." I got back up to my feet clutching my chest and limping down the stairs to the street. "Good shit Williams, looks like you were worth the transfer afterall. Get your asses down here, we've got a problem." _Oh fucking great_, I thought to myself as I exited the shop and into the small perimeter we'd setup around the wreckage. I looked around confused until Kelly simply pointed down the road and the threat became apparent. That fucking protest had followed the convoy and had just stummbled upon a bunch of dead bodies… Dead faunus bodies. I ejected the 30 round magazine from my weapon and inserted a fresh one into the magwell and slapped the bolt release and with one satisfying click I was locked and loaded. I walked up to a parked car on the side of the road and propped my weapon onto it, I could feel the anxious sweat running across my body.

"Boss, they don't look to happy!" Hendricks called out in a panicked voice while Kelly simply continued yelling at whoever was on the other end of his radio to get backup to our location. The crowd began marching towards us as the shouts and curses got louder. Civilians still inside buildings were pulling out their scrolls and taking video at the standoff, soon enough the crowd was throwing bottles, rocks, and about anything they could lift at us. They were maybe just a little over 30 yards away, they began walking up to the fallen bodies of the White Fang we killed and from my eyes, some of them got a little too close to those guns around them. It was at this time a little faunus girl walked out of the crowd and up to a dead body of a wolf faunus and began shaking it. "Daniels… Shit's getting heated!" He simply replied with "Hold your ground!" The VIP hid inside the armored truck as the crowd inched closer.

The little girl was mouthing something along the lines of "Father" or "Papa" I couldn't quite tell, meanwhile, Daniels was shouting at the protest to get back only for them to continue to shout curses and things along the lines of "Murderers" which given the current scene around us... Didn't help our case. The little girl reached for her fathers weapon and began lifting it with all the strength she had. She swayed slightly and struggled to lift the weapon, she couldn't of been more than 8. "DROP IT!" I shouted as loud as I could while my breath quivered and my hands shook. She only ignored me as she began walking towards us, the rest of the group unaware of her presence. "DROP! IT!" I continued as she stood in place and began raising the rifle towards Hendricks. "LITTLE GIRL JUST DROP THE FUCKING GUN!" Her finger went for the trigger and the barrel was pointed directly at Hendricks who was to busy scanning the crowd to notice the tiny threat. She pressed her cheek against the weapon and squinted her left eye close. "PLEASE JUST DROP IT!" With no clear intention to drop the weapon I took aim at the small girls chest. As I align my sights the world went slow, the crowd went quiet and the only noise was the sound of my own beating heart.

With no other option…

I began squeezing the trigger…

**4 Hours Earlier…**

"The convoy will pass through 49th before making a right turn onto 23rd, if all goes well, we'll be there in less than 10 minutes. If needed we'll divert on 37th to the secondary route." Kelly retracted the pointer stick and placed onto the table beside him. We all sat in our chairs with shorts, t-shirts, and the occasional ball cap. The objective was to escort Edward Hammer to his office building to meet with his campaign directors and advisors after a rally downtown. We all shuffled in our seats and rolled our eyes at the prospect of it all, it was a 3 vehicle convoy with armed personnel, frankly, I didn't see the reason for all of it. "If there are no further questions, your all dismissed, be ready to mount up in the next 3 hours." With that said we all stood up from our chairs and went to go grab lunch downtown.

I pulled the red cap over my head and placed my hands in the pockets of my khaki shorts, the plain grey woolen shirt making me indistinguishable from the crowd around me. I kept my head low and popped down near a small cafe by the station, the line was fairly short so I popped inside the small shop and took a step in line. Their were a handful of people inside the cafe, some human, some faunus, all simply minding their own business as they slipped away their drinks and ate whatever small foods accompanied them. I was glad I didn't train as religiously as the other guys, some of them were built like tanks, I was just sorta muscular but mainly just looked like the average guy. My short cut black hair was hidden under my cap and my green eyes were about as dull as concrete. I was whisked out of my thoughts when the cashier asked me for my order, I made it double espresso with a plain bagel to go with, once I was done I handed her a twenty dollar bill(I only used my debit for anything over 30) and received the small amount of change. "What's your name?" I was in such a bored stupor I nearly missed the question but answered nonetheless. "Ch-...Williams." I typically used my last name for most things as my first name was reserved for close friends and family. I really don't know why I did that, just seemed right.

With my order taken I found a small 2 seat table down by the window and waited for them to call for me. They seemed short-staffed today and I could tell that they were training a new kid so I wasn't too hopeful on my order getting their soon. I leaned back into my chair and let my legs stretch forward under the table while I idly gazed out the glass beside me. The sun was high in the sky and the warmth felt nice on my skin, so I wasn't complaining about the wait. A minute or 2 passed by when I heard my name called, I walked up and exchanged a smile with the young barista before grabbing my bagel and coffee then returning to my seat. The shop was now empty with only me and the employees left, I ate and drank in silence not really thinking about anything and sorta just going on auto-pilot, that was when the barista decide to break the 'awkward' silence I hadn't even realized was there. "So… You hear about that rally going on near city hall?" I broke out from my blank thoughts and looked at her with a raised brow before recalling her words and answering. "Yeah, I heard about it, not really much to say though… Not really a politics guy." I figured it'd be rude to just return back to my things so I repositioned myself so that I was facing her while she leaned over the counter.

"How 'bout you? Got any opinions on whatever's going on down there?" She tilted her head and looked up in contemplation for a few moments while I sipped my coffee once more. I got a good look at her face this time and was able to actually notice her details, she had frizzy brown hair to accommodate her light-brown skin color and eyes. "Well if I'm being completely honest… He seems like every other candidate but I can tell the faunus aren't all that happy with his policies but I don't follow politics enough to really know what they are!" She laughed at herself as she finished her thoughts and a smile drew on my head as I nodded my head in agreement. I took the final bite out of my bagel and looked at her before deciding to keep this pleasant little surprise of a conversation going. "Yeah well, honestly, I don't think it really matters too much with the White Fang running around." She nodded along as I reached for my cup once more. "It's just awful what's been going on lately. Attacks, bombings, and all that, for a time we were worried that we'd get hit as well." I finished my cup of coffee and placed it down on top of the small plate my bagel came with and walked up to the side of the counter and placed them down.

She stood up and went over to place to plates near the sinks behind the counter and then grabbed her own coffee beside the register. As I began turning around and walking towards the door, I heard something hit the ground and a loud splash from behind me. "Ah, shit!" She hissed out of her teeth while looking for a towel somewhere, spotting the object on the other side of the counter over the display I grabbed it and quickly handed it to her. She thanked me and began attempting to clean up the mess, the apron had caught most of the liquid but her white long-sleeves were stained brown. As I peered over I saw that she had spilled 2 cups worth of coffee on the floor, and with no other employees except the trainee who was currently in the back, I decided to help out. "Here, lemme help." I hopped over the counter and grabbed a towel by the sink before crouching down and cleaning up the brown liquid. After all was said and done I placed the towel in the sink and hopped back over.

"Hey thanks...Williams was it?" I nodded before replying. "Hey it's really no problem…" I pointed at her with a questioning look, she caught on and with a sudden realization with what I was getting at she answered. "Tracy!" I nodded and reiterated my remark. "Well, your welcome Tracy, have a good day." I then walked through the door and began making my way back to the station. I breathed a sigh of relief as I felt the wait of prolonged social interaction leave my shoulders, I began making my way back to the station while checking my watch. The device read 4:56 which left me with 2 hours left until we'd be heading out, minus a 20 minute walk to get back, I'd have a short amount of time to really do anything back there anyway. Along the way back I could see many faunus taking to the streets and forming groups while heading towards the rally. I lowered my head and moved through the crowds without making any noise, not like it would have mattered with how fucking loud it was.

As I entered the station everyone was running around in a panic. Dispatchers were frantically contacting patrols and scrambling units to the rally. SWAT team's were loading up into trucks and heading downtown while everyone else was running towards the nearest TV. "The fuck is going on?" I grabbed the shoulder of passing officer, he looked at me like an idiot which only helped the situation more. "The faunus are starting to fucking break down the rally, their pissed man!" I walked over to the TV everyone was looking at and saw the scene displayed by the Vale News Network. Protestors were knocking down barricades and shouting at any human at the rally. People were being pepper sprayed and some were being attacked, no wonder everyone was rushing down there. It was then that the station PA system came online and the loud static broke through the inside of the building. "VRT Omega, report to the armory. VRT Omega, report to the armory immediately." In that moment, what felt like, the whole station looked at me in that shocked '_Oh shit this just got serious_' glare and I quickly ran towards the armory.

As I swung the door opened, I saw the rest of the team standing at their lockers and looking over their pieces of gear inside. "Williams, SWAT's being dispatched to control the situation while we grab the VIP and get him outta there." I nodded and ran over to my locker and fiddled with the lock for a couple seconds before whipping the door open and grabbing my combat shirt and pants. "The rallies gone to shit, our job is to grab Edward Hammer and move him to the intended escort location as intended. I'm afraid we're being sent in earlier than expected." I slipped my plate carrier on and began strapping in my elbow pads and knee pads, once that was done I pulled the black balaclava over my head and slide on my MICH helmet. I pulled the black goggles over my eyes and began grabbing 6 magazines for my MK18 then quickly inserting them into each individual mag pouch on my chest and side.

I grabbed my MK18 last and slipped the black, one point, sling over my head. I slammed the magazine inside and racked the charging handle back with a satisfying _**clack**_. I stood at the ready as the rest of my team began filing out the armory and out of the station. As we passed by each officer we only received stares of uncertainty, as if they were watching a tragedy unfold before their eyes. Before I knew it we'd loaded up into the back of an armored truck and were well on our way to the rally, god knew what we'd find there I wish we did too. Our vehicle raced downtown and in less than 3 minutes we were at the rally.

We boarded off through the back of the truck and began moving towards the main stage, all of the civilians had been evacuated and a long line of SWAT vans and SWAT officers were blocking off the protestors from getting in. We climbed up on stage and passed the overturned podium, broken glass and bricks were all over the place. At the back of the stage was a small walkway leading behind the curtain, we took the walkway and found members of the guy's security team keeping him safe in a backroom. Daniels gave the word and told 3 guys to start getting our exit ready, I grabbed Edward Hammer and we began moving back to the truck. His own security team was ordered to move with the SWAT guys while we escorted him, bit of a dick move but we didn;t have enough room anyway. We stowed him into the back of the truck but couldn't get a move on, the protest was blocking off all points of exit and the SWAT officers were starting to get overwhelmed. Daniels reached for his radio to tell the officers to start clearing a path but a flaming bottle impacted the ground less than 15 feet away from the truck and burst into a wide spreading fire on the concrete ground. "Their throwing fucking molotovs!" A teammate shouted out in pure confusion and surprise, like his was the craziest thing he'd ever seen. With no other option the SWAT teams tried to clear a path but it was a shitty one in all honesty.

We loaded up and I let out a sigh of relief, they don't have anything that can even put a dent in this thing! The truck moved slowly through the crowd, many of them began slamming and throwing objects onto the side of it and trying to get in the way of it only to be pushed to the side by SWAT officers. We finally broke through the crowd, _Thank God!_, I thought to myself. We'd done the most eventful part of this God awful mission.

**Not much to say here that I hadn't already said in the beginning, thank you all for reading. I'm finishing this at around midnight so I'm really fucking tired.**

**I'll write to you all in the next chapter.**


	2. Chapter 2 The Public Eye

Chapter 2

The Public Eye

_**BANG**_

The shot pierced her small chest, ripping out the guts and bone behind her, her body fell to the ground swiftly and for a split second it was as if all sound had been sucked into a vacuum. Her eyes lay wide open while sprawled out on the black street, the pool of blood brightly contrasting with it. I could see her twitching and gasping for air, the thick red liquid was beginning to flood her mouth as her pupils dilated, I must've put one right through her lungs. The single gunshot rang out through the streets and my team immediately pivoted to the sounds origin… To me.

They saw my weapon raised and a little girl dying on the ground, her brunette hair was soaked in her own blood, it only began spilling out of the corners of her mouth and onto her chest which in and of itself was nothing but a mess. The protesters recoiled back in shock, the brutal scene in front of them stunning each one to the point of near paralysis. "Jesus fuck man, the hell'd you do!?" Hendricks yelled out while Daniels began backing up and ordering us to do the same. The shock turned to blind anger as the crowd, now fueled with the death of their own, a martyr I suppose, began pushing our position rapidly. Daniels ordered warning shots be fired but other than some of them staggering back, they continued nonetheless. We began taking up positions around the VIP, who was currently hiding inside the overturned armored truck. As the crowd only grew in closer, and fearing for our own lives, we began taking sporadic and single shots into the crowd hoping to deter them. In hindsight, that may of only pissed them off more, but without any non-lethal options we had no choice.

I tried to raise my rifle, but the shock and gravity of my action, they just seemed to weigh me down. I couldn't focus as the horde began surrounding us, suddenly a loud thunk was heard in the distance followed by another thunk and a clanging noise. Quickly I noticed white gas begin forming in the crowd, I looked up and saw canisters being fired into the onslaught of Faunus with reckless abandon as anti-riot trucks began pulling up and forcing them back. Riot shields were lined up in the streets like these were empires clashing in battle, the Faunus began retreating and dispersing as a voice on a megaphone began shouting at them to do so. Any who resisted the orders and caused further conflict were struck with rubber bullets or pepper-shots. "The chief's gonna lose his goddamn mind after this one lads." Came from another member of Omega team. As we began pulling, the now terrified and traumatized, VIP out of the truck and moving him to another team to finish the mission. Daniels received a message to have our guys return to station for "debriefing", which basically meant a massive ass-chewing a thing that I felt wholly justified in receiving. I couldn't even think straight, even as the crowd fully dispersed and the threat left us I still could see that poor girl just laying in the street. Her body just left their to display to the public in front of a line of riot shields, 'the media's gonna eat that up' I heard from another officer, they didn't even seemed concerned about the fact she was fucking dead.

The other protesters who we'd unfortunately shot were either being put in body bags or forcefully being treated by human medics which didn't go well with them. Many began spouting out shakespearean nonsense like 'I'd rather die than be healed by the hands of my oppressor' which was utter bullshit. We began clearing the scene and stood there for what felt like an hour, sirens blaring and ambulances rushing all over the place with plenty of EMTs and Paramedics treating the wounded or covering up the dead. Plenty of Faunus had been incapacited by the CS gas and other such methods. I was brought out of my thoughts when a vehicle pulled up and our team was told to enter a Police SUV which was cramped as all hell. The ride back was long and quiet, the guys were just happy to be alive, I couldn't stop thinking about that girl and the father I'd killed. A mother and wife would have to receive news today that she'd lost the 2 most important people in her life, that would crush her. I'd essentially been responsible for 3 deaths today, 2 physical and 1… I don't even want to think about it. I pray to god we don't have any training in the morning, because there's no way I'm sleeping tonight…

**Vale Police Department**

**1 Hour Later…**

We sat inside a small room with a set of 4 tables on each side facing towards a board. At each table stood 3 chairs, again, all facing toward the front of the room with a single desk and chair with a green chalkboard behind it. Above that chalkboard was a pull down screen for the projector placed 2 rows down and hanging from the ceiling. Not a whisper was uttered in that room as the clock ticked away on the right wall beside me, their stood the Police Chief a coffee in his right hand and a folder in his left. He sighed a breath of frustration and turned away before laying out the folder on the desk behind him and examining it for a moment. With his back facing us he began speaking, "15 armed White Fang members dead, 6 Protestors dead, and a currently unknown number of Protestors injured… That's all I have gentleman, numbers…" He took a swig of his coffee and faced us, he pulled down his rectangle glasses, and spoke once more. "Now, before we go pointing fingers and blaming the Faunus, the Police, or God himself for giving us such a fucking mess to work with, I want to hear your story… Because we all know the news stations won't." There was a silence in the room for around 10 seconds, each individual sat in their chair seemingly more interested in the cheaply made metal configuration of it rather than the Chief's words. The sounds of a metal chair scratching on the floor was heard as all our eyes shifted to Daniels who stood before the Police Chief and began speaking. "So… Do you want the story before or after shit went south?" From there Daniels among a few pieces of input from other members told the story as it happened from our side. The Chief stood their, contemplating for a moment, then speaking one more time, this time more directly, this time to ME. "You explanation makes sense, but there's one gap in it?" Daniels looked shocked at the claim and seemed at a loss for words. "That being, how the fuck, did a little girl get shot through the lung and who did it." Daniels sat down, unable to answer the question, Hendricks shot me a glance but the rest of the team just continued looking at the table. I felt my spine shiver and my bones shake to their core as I began standing up, my legs went numb and I felt like I was gonna collapse. It felt as if the pressure of being 40 meters underwater was being placed upon me as I struggled for air. "Uh-I did sir, I shot her." The Chief raised an eyebrow and gestured for me to go on. "Earlier in the fight, I presume her father was shot and killed by us. She was among the protestors when they arrived and she saw here dead Dad's body." My words began getting choked out as my tongue wrapped itself up. I could already imagine my career disappearing into thin air as the only thing I'd be left with was the nightmares of a dead child.

"She picked up her father's gun and began walking up to Hendricks, the weapon pointed at him, I asked 4 times for her to drop the weapon but she only persisted… So…" Tears began forming in my eyes as I began realizing the true consequences and gravity of what I did, a young girl's life was taken by my hands and a family ruined. "I shot her in the chest… And had to watch her die." As I practically gagged out the last words through tears, snot and pure emotional breakdown I fell back into my chair so fast I sent myself back a foot or 2. My feet stretched out on the floor as I covered my eyes with my hand in shame and to hide the tears and my sobbing. Hendricks put a hand on my shoulder as the team rallied around me in support, I could feel them surrounding me even the Chief and come up to me in a supportive manner. His eyes went soft and I could see the usual gruff 'n' tough attitude dissipate into thin air. The debrief ended early and I eventually composed myself, though my bloodshot eyes were a dead give away that something was wrong, I concealed myself the best I could and did my best not to draw attention in the station. Everyone knew that VRT was involved but nobody knew who specifically was who with the identical outfits and the full roster being classified for reasons such as this.

I was allowed to leave 2 hours earlier than usual, it was now 7:38 and the sun was just setting over the ocean. Most of the stores and shops were closing, both due to time and the recent tragedy that had occurred. The same rules seemed to apply to what I believed to be my favorite lunch spot. '_The Musketeer Cafe_' that was the name, seeing no other reason to really be out in the streets considering they were all deserted I decided to just head home. My apartment was on the 3rd floor of a complex in the center of town, the view was awful but that was why it was cheap enough for me. Turns out being apart of the Vale Response Teams had pretty good pay, but that just came with all the risks of being in it but the money was good and it got me close enough to my Army days. My apartment itself wasn't very homey, you turn left as you walk in and your greeted with a small partisan where the kitchen and table is. Just ahead is the living room, with a small couch, low-table, and a 60 inch TV screen that I saved up for a while back. What can I say, I really enjoy MMA and Sports in general. Just a little passed that was my room, with a desk and that was about it. Small, practical, and it left me with plenty of left over funds to add basically whatever I wanted.

It wasn't the most homey viber around but I had my parents house down by the bay for that. I would make routine visits on the weekends to them, it was always nice to see them. Speaking of which, god, they must've been close to the action today!? I made my way to the phone to call them and saw I had 6 missed calls from my Mother and a single missed call from my Dad, they must be worried sick. I rang up their home phone and waited for them to pick up. They obviously knew I was an officer with the VPD, and was selected to become one on the whole joint-operation thing with the Army but I never told them fully what I did, mainly because I wasn't allowed. The phone rang a couple more times before their was a staticy break in the ringing. "Hello!?" My heart let out a sigh of relief as I heard my Mother's voice. It was a little scratchy but still sweet and sincere as it was when I was a boy, not that I'm old or anything I'm 23. "H-Hey Mom, just wanted to call, I saw you left some messages." She sighed loudly before beginning to scold me. "I've been calling all day, are you okay, have you heard what had happened, what do the Police know, oh I was so worried?!" I did my best to process what she said but given my mental state I could only just brush them off. "Yeah Mom I'm fine, I-I wasn't involved, I'm not quite sure what happened but the day's been really busy. I'm sorry this is so short I'm just really tired, I'll be sure to come by this weekend and talk. How's Dad?" She seemed to scoff at the remark. "Your Father is being his usual self, he's fine but this whole thing seems to have him right pissed." I chuckled slightly at that. "Glad to hear he's doing okay, Love you two, bye." She told me she loved me as well and said goodbye before hanging up the phone, I placed it back down on the counter and made my way to my bed.

I stripped out of all my clothes and turned the lights off, I practically slammed face first into my bed and began wrapping myself up in the blanket. I found a comfortable position and began feeling the ever so comforting feeling of being sucked away from consciousness.

I awoke the next morning feeling unrested and sore from yesterday, god I really should've taken a cold shower or something. I checked the digital clock beside my bed and noticed it was nearly 8, I slept in. Not that I could really blame myself, I wasn't exactly in a rush or anything. I rose from my bed threw some boxers on and a baggy grey shirt then left my room for the kitchen. Opening up the pantry and looking into the Pumpkin Pete's cereal box I noticed that I had enough for about half a bowl. The food was sugary and lacked any real vital nutrition but I'd been eating these since I was a kid so I didn't want to stop. I poured the remaining contents of the box into the white ceramic bowl I sat down at my couch and flicked on the TV. I began switching through channels so that I could start surfing the news, by now there would be stories everywhere and more detail about what had happened. I may of been there myself but I wanted to see what they got right. I flicked the channel one more time and got to Channel 9 Morning Vale Report.

"-In regards the last nights tragedy at the harbour, police reports and statements have finally been released with a confirmed 21 dead, 15 of which being members of the White Fang, and 6 protestors. It has also been confirmed that at least 23 were injured, when asked about the use of force and VRT members involved in the shooting, Chief of Police Andrew Mako had this to say…" The footage then transitioned to the Chief standing at a podium with more microphones hooked up to it than there are veins in the human body, lights and the light hum of reporters were present as always. "While I am unable to disclose the identity of those officers in Vale Response Team Omega that were present during the escort, White Fang attack, and the tragic shooting, I am assured by police reports and video footage that said officers did the best they could to de-escalate the situation before having to use lethal force as a means to protect not only their own but Edward Hammers life." As he finished his statement a light flashed from a camera and the audience stood up with microphones in hand ready to ask more questions before the transition brought us back to a close up of the female news anchor.

"Video footage has been uploaded showcasing the standoff and shooting between the VRT and Faunus protestors. The video is graphic, viewer discretion is advised." My eyes widened, they wouldn't? On live television, they were just gonna show that shitshow to the public?! The footage cut and a vertical video was taken from a prone position behind a car, it showed the semi truck already rammed into our armored transport and White Fang firing at us. That footage ended and from a different angle, this time from a window maybe 3 stories up, it showed the protest marching down the streets towards us and eventually the moment they started hucking anyything that fit in their hands at us. The footage changed again to a low angle on the street, a young girl was seen standing a couple feet away from Hendricks and I was right where I was. The rifle was barely visible from this angle, and my cries for her to stop 4 times were loud and audible. The moment began flashing through my head one more time, I could feel the sweat coming off my body as I envisioned myself back their with the Mk18 in my hand. Except I didn't need to use my imagination, the footage was right there and as my 4th and final plea for the small girl to stop came I saw the bullet rip through her chest and out her back. I felt something inside me drop to my stomach, not like I was sick, but like when you have a sudden realization that is so crazy you don't know what to do with it. I don't know what I was realizing, but I just felt that way. The footage went on to show the Riot teams firing CS gas into the crowd but I paid little attention to it I just sat back in my seat and felt all the emotions of yesterday rush through me.

The news anchor returned and with a sad look on her face. "With me today we have Faunus Rights Activist, Linda Welker... " She paused as the camera zoomed out to show a 20 something plump Faunus women with long Auburn hair, dark skin, a pair of circulatory glasses, and small little rabbit ears, sitting beside her in a red blouse. "So, Linda what is your take on this. The White Fang attacks, the protests, the use of force, that girl was shot in the street?" The activist bit her lip for a moment and looked down momentarily before responding. "'Ya know it's this kind of violence and police that end up only fueling the fire of hated more and keep the systemic racism over the Faunus going. I mean, what the hell, they just shot a girl for standing in the middle of the street to close to them. I mean who is letting these people get away with this, hell who's training them! I could've thought of at least 4 different non-lethal ways of handling the situation." The news anchor just nodded her head like she did with every other guest she had on before giving off another question or rather a rebuttal to the activist. "Well that girl was holding a gun, she was holding an AKM and pointed it toward an unaware officer, it was found on her body and recorded through the VRT's bodycams." My eyes went up in shock, bodycam!? I completely forgot about those, we had them put on only a couple weeks earlier and I just didn't even remember that. The activists bit back her tongue for a moment, probably just getting the news now about the weapon and having to either admit she didn't know that(a totally acceptable thing to admit) or remain stubborn and force that point. After a second's hesitation she made her choice.

"Umm, I wasn't aware of that but I still feel that the situation could've been handled better. These were protestors fighting for equal rights and we suppressed them with bullets and buttstocks, it's 2019, things like this shouldn't be happening anymore!" The anchor once again nodded along and asked her final question as she must've realized she was running out of time. "Understandable, one final question, how do you feel about the autonomy and accountability of the VRT, as they are not allowed to disclose the names of the officers within their elite teams?" Her response was immediate and forceful. "It is disgusting that such a shady organization can exist within our own walls and our own police department, these men need to be held accountable for their actions. If they are just allowed to kill as they please and get away with it… I mean it might just be time for a change." The anchor thanked her guest before talking about the next story, something about a dust shop robbery and an unidentified Bullhead flying in Vale airspace.

I flipped through the next couple news channels and began listening in briefly.

"This is straight up murder, none of the crowd were armed what did they have to fear!?"

"I say good riddance, these animals need to be put in check, mess with the bulls you get the horns."

"How can we, as a people, feel safe knowing that our own police department were so ill-equipped to handle this situation before just pulling triggers?"

"Fuck the police, fuck Hammer, fuck Humans, us Faunus are gonna resist your opperssion and rise up!"

I turned off the TV and began rubbing my eyes, I was still hungry and needed something to eat. Maybe a quick stop at a little cafe downtown, it'd be nice to get my mind off all this shit. I quickly took a shower, brushed my teeth, did my hair, wore the most unassuming clothing I could and walked out of my apartment. The morning was just starting and rush hour was already in full swing, traffic would be a nightmare today as I'm sure that street by the harbour was still closed and being investigated further for more and more reports/paperwork. Amidst all the suits and ties on the streets to busy to really pay attention to anything going on and the regular pedestrians to distracted by their own personal problems to care I slipped through all of them and found myself at the cafe.

The door opened with a small ring of a bell and there was Tracy standing behind the counter, her head tilted to the side and a small smirk crossed her face as her eyes squinted. I could tell she was trying to remember my name, eventually as I approached the till the name came back to her and her smile widened. "William was it, Didn't realize I'd see you so soon?" She had forgotten the s on the end but I suppose I didn't matter. I gave a weak smile back and tried my best to hide the sheer exhaustion and downright blind turmoil in my head. The illusion lasted less than a trigger pull as her expression went from happy to curious in a nanosecond. "You okay there William, I don't want to sound rude, but you look awful?" I did my best to innocently smile back as I pushed back the shortcut black hair on top my head which contrasted with my nearly buzz cut sides. "Yeah, once I left here yesterday work got real busy and kept me up pretty late." She frowned and lifted an eyebrow with an understanding nod, I went to make my order but she said she remembered my order anyway; a tad bit odd but I mean she seemed cool so I didn't really bother freaking out over the meaning like a High School boy. The memories associated with those years then went through my head and caused a slight shudder.

"Your work must be close to hear, there aren't a lot of industrial or even office buildings nearby though, what 'ya do?" I pulled up a chair and sat down slowly while she asked. I could've sat down quicker but the longer I played it out the more I had to think, If I told her I worked for the Police Department that could be bad due to 'recent events' and I rather liked this little place. I couldn't tell her I was VRT either way, and lying was exactly something I wanted to do either so a half-truth would have to do. "I uh…" I blinked a couple times waived my hand around in front of my face like I was trying to recall some distant memory and then proceeded. "I work for the Police Department, my stations just a couple blocks away." Her face went from a playful smile of genuine curiosity to that of slight shock and disbelief, here it comes. "Oh my god..!" And away we go "Are you okay!?" Wait, what?

I looked up and saw that she was coming out from behind the counter with a concerned look on your face. "No wonder you were 'busy yesterday'" mimicking my words from earlier. "Jesus, where you down by the harb-?" She cut herself off while crouched low and putting a hand on my shoulder. I could see that she clearly thought I would take offense to the question and she then cringed slightly and began backpedalling. "I'm sorry I didn't mean to bring it up, I meanitmust'vebeenreallyawfulforyouand thethingsyousawI'mreallysor-" Her words spun up to about the speed of light as I shook my head and chuckled telling her it was okay to ask questions, filling the conversation with more half-truths. "I was there when the riot guys showed up if that's what you were asking, and yeah I saw some of the bodies and wounded getting hauled off." She quietly mouthed the words 'sorry' once more after I finished, clearly still unnerved by the fact I was there. God knows how she'd freak out if she knew what I was really there to witness and do.

She stood up and got back behind the counter after I thanked her for the support but told her I was just tired after everything. That part was a total and absolute lie, I may of been tired but a lot more of that shit was wrestling in my head than just 'I'm sleepy'. She then began washing her hands and preparing my order all while speaking at the same time. Kinda like my mom who would scold me while still doing the dishes. "Well, your orders on the house and I don't wanna hear any complaints it's the least I could do after what you've been through." I really 'wanted' to protest but free food is free food 'ya get me? I thanked her and began sipping away at the coffee and preparing to leave I felt a vibration in my pocket before making my farewell, I pulled out my scroll and checked so see I had gotten a text from my team leader Daniels. 'Omega's gonna have the next 2 days off, Chief needs to short shit out with the council.' I made a quick text saying thanks for the heads up which was met with a scarily quick reply. 'Might organize some stuff with the boys.' I put the phone back in my pocket and seeing that I'd gotten up early for nothing I might as well sit down and relax. "Well looks like I'm off-work for the next 2 days, mind if I stay for awhile I've got nothing else to do?" She just shrugged and began cleaning a small coffee mug before replying. "I mean you are my customer and it's like 2 more hours before the rest of the staff show up so I don't mind the company." My head tilted this time with a questioning glance which seemed to catch her off guard. "So your telling me that they let only one person work the till during rush hours?" She shook her head quickly before pointing a thumb back toward the backroom. "I have a co-worker back there, names Becket, he's studying for his college courses so any chance he has to not stand at the counter he's gone." The fact that only 2 people manned this thing still baffled but I shrugged and carried on.

There was a small silence before I decided to break it, which was weird because I don't usually force myself into awkward situations since my life is kinda centered around my job. "So umm, what's going on in your life?" She raised an eyebrow before smiling and talking away. "Well I'm studying to become a teacher, and not the kind that teach those kids to kill Grimm, the actual kind." We both laughed together as she put the coffee mug down and leaned over the counter. "I'm 2 years in and living with my parents, being a Barista doesn't exactly pay the best for rent." I nodded with that, early on I had trouble finding a place to stay but then you know who came knocking. "I've been saving for a trip out to the Forever Falls, the safe parts at least. I went there once when I was a kid and it's just beautiful." She seemed to forget where she was as she talked about it, most likely going back to memories of a simpler time. "What about you, any plans for mister dark and scary?" I recompiled back in surprise, what was that about. Her voice deepened as she said it but she failed to finish the impression as she just laughed instead. "What I'm not dark, maybe a little scary but not dark!?" I was a little flustered but I replied no less. "Right now, I'm not sure, money isn't exactly an issue but the problem is that I don't really know when or where to go. It's a little hard to get off work in my field and even then it's just boring going alone?" I realized the way I put that was a little flirtatious but I was being completely honest, why go to a luxurious island or a camping trip if it's just you. In High School I went on some international trips to Mistral with my friends, and needless to say, we tore the town down with our shit. I still remember when Mickey woke up in a fountain in somebody else's clothes.

Her eyes shot wide open with curiosity as she rested her head in the palm of the hand while continuing to lean forward. "Really no lucky girl?" I actually got a good laugh at that. "Not since High School I'm afraid." I checked my watch quickly and saw that it was nearing 10, I went through a mental checklist and figured going grocery shopping wouldn't be so bad. "Right, I'll see ya around Tracy, sorry about the abrupt exit I just realized I gotta grab groceries." I said as I stood from my chari and began making my way to the door. I was making my way uptown towards a nearby stripmall that, the IGA there made these pack of cookies that were just delicious and super soft. I was really only going in for breakfast foods and a couple things for the fridge but grabbing a little extra never hurt. As quickly as I entered was about as quickly as I left, and before I knew it I was back home putting all of it back into the pantry. I did have a car but I preferred walking most of the time since I lived pretty close to a lot of the stuff I needed. By now it was just a little over 11, and I decided it'd be a good time to hit the gym. For this trip I'd have to use my car, if you think I'm walking 8 Kilometers your on some shit.

As I made my way to my car and hopped inside I received another text from my team leader. 'Bowling night?' A smile crept onto my base, fuck yeah bowling night, but just as I began feeling that emotion of happiness, the sudden slap of 'you killed a kid less than 24 hours ago' hit me like a truck. My arms felt heavy and my head slammed into the steering wheel, I'd just forgotten about that how the fuck do you forget something like that on a morning walk!? This was something that was gonna hide in my subconscious and just sit there, waiting to tear me down, and frankly, I wasn't ready for that…

**That concludes Chapter 2, less action as only 4 shots were fired this chapter, I'm gonna do my best to steer away from the wholly-action orientated story telling I typically do. I'm trying to challenge myself with this one by writing real, relatable, and fleshed out characters.**

**As I've been told, my character, Reeves from a New World a New Threat was fairly one-dimensional. The gruff and battle-hardened veteran, and that's all he really needed to be as the focus of the story was the conflict and not the characters. (Not attempting to justify poor character development, I do suck in that department) Williams will not be another Reeves, he is much more human he has people he cares about, firm morals, a background, and to be quite blunt… Emotions! While of course there is always the backdrop of him working in an elite counter-terror unit that is more because I know I'm not fully capable of writing a character driven story without some type of physical conflict yet. However, the story is meant to revolve around the characters in it rather than have some big overarching plot of doom or world annihilation, this is a story about people living in a city with its own internal problems with complex solutions and even more complex issues within them. I am doing my best to present the world in an unbiased way and display the good and bad in all aspects. That being said their will of course be a physical conflict VRT Omega will need to overcome, old habits die hard.**

**Oh and I may be using the original RWBY cast in a later chapter, this time I won't be killing them.**

**With that massive rant over that I'm sure most of you skipped because I do that too when I read fic's.**

**Be sure to leave a review or any ideas, I love seeing you guys feedback both positive and negative**

**I'll write to you all in the next chapter.**


	3. Chapter 3 Bowling Night

Chapter 3

Bowling Night

I threw on a clean shirt in the bedroom of my apartment, I don't know what evil spirit possessed me to do fucking leg day while I'm off but whatever did was a massive pain in the ass. The shower had been refreshing and at least now I didn't smell like the old 40 year olds in the gym. By now the time was 4:47 and the TL wanted us at the lanes by 7:00, he reserve a lane and 2 games too. I plopped down on the couch and began flipping through the channels once again aimlessly, this time staying away from any and all news, I'd learned my lesson.

Daniels was probably doing his best to keep everyones mind off the massive fuck up, after these 2 days were over we weren't sure if we'd even have jobs anymore. Then again, I heard the private contracting business had gone up in demand given the fact that there was almost zero military presence beyond the wall. Out there were only Huntsman, Grimm, and anyone crazy enough to take a contract. I'd accepted the fact I was probably gonna have too get knocked down a couple pegs on the totem pole at minimum. I was technically Army after all, which further complicated the accountability and punishment greatly. An exhibition game was being televised from an arena in town that local Huntsman would use for training or the occasional game. It seemed almost idiotic to make the men and women who scoured the wilds protecting us from Grimm fight each other for our entertainment and most times money, but majority of the proceeds went to the school. God knows how much of a tax-burden that place is on everyone living in the city. That still didn't defeat the strangeness of the fights, I mean, imagine a bunch of guys from my team got pitted up against another team in the VRT and had to use SIM rounds. Now that I think about that, the idea does sound quite entertaining.

The match was quite nail biting, with each opponent seemingly complimenting styles perfectly. One was a lightly armed and nimble on her feet, using speed and acrobatics to overwhelm her opposition with quick attacks that were followed up just as swiftly with more strikes. Her maneuverability made her quite the threat as she was able to dip and dodge her way out of attacks with her dagger and karambit, but when one landed it was devastating and would often cause her to fall back. The other was an absolute fortress of defensive ability, his armor was thick leather padded with steel plates in vital locations such as the sternum, kidneys, knees, thighs and so on. His weapon was a spear and full body shield, he would use his defense to absorb her attacks while also using his spear to keep out of range of her knives. She would attempt to launch herself and hard angles and attempt to break into his guard only for a shield bash or thrust of the spear to keep her away. This was only complimented by the fact her knives transformed into a 9mm pistols, a USP and Glock respectively while his speartip would only split and reveal an energy based weapon in the shaft that tore up the arena. For nearly an hour they would counter each others attacks, she would dance around him looking for the crack in his armor only to be met with his unrelenting defence. Meanwhile he would simply stand his ground and wait for an opening to strike, however for both fighters, an offense can only stand for so long with no real defense and a defense can only hold with a proper offense to back it up. Their styles both broke each other down near the end it came down what could only be described as a back and forth slugging contest. Both Huntsman abandoned their game plan as she tried to stand her ground and draw him in, while he just dropped the defense and switched to a violent and aggressive offensive of plasma and steel. Eventually one of them fell, and the male fighter stood victorious, she had invested so much into a defense she didn't have at the end of the match that there was no way she could withstand his violent assault. Her main skill was dodging and confusing her enemies but the moment she abandoned that and with so little form of armor to protect her she was doomed to lose. He could switch to an overwhelming offense due to his clever and conservative placement of armor allowing him to take hits and keep moving.

The crowd enjoyed the fight and the 2 Huntsman shook hands afterwards, I checked my watch only to notice the sun setting over the water. It was 6:23 and I'd have to drive across town to the bowling alley, I grabbed my wallet and keys off the kitchen counter and made my way down the apartment to the parking lot. I should see if I can watch a game like that in person, like I said it feels weird with context, but there just so entertaining. The high-speed, blink and you'll miss it, action mixed with the large and often time exuberant weapons it just seemed like fun. I'm sure there's another match tomorrow but the tickets would be sold out for sure, I guess another time then.

I turned into the bowling alley's parking lot and released the key, the engine sputtered off as I climbed out of the vehicle and locked it remotely. I pushed past the double set of doors, the sun behind me reflecting off the glass so such a degree that I was momentarily blind as I entered. The alley had gone dark, blacklights were illuminating the lanes while music and dim lights remained in the background. At the desk was Omega team, they didn't notice me remove my shoes and walk up behind them until I was less than 5 feet away. Hendricks turned around with his shoes in hand, "Williams, late as always, good to see 'ya man!" He gave me a half hug as he began slipping the bowling footwear on and making his way to the lane. I paid for my 2 games and got my shoes handed out as I joined the rest of the team, we greeted each other and took our seats as the irish guy by the name of Morrison went up first. He walked with swagger and dusted off the first ball, he took position as the rest of us began heckling and annoying him. "No pressure!" "Don't fuck up!" "You look like an idiot!" The music was loud so we all resorted to shouting which I'm sure the other patrons enjoyed. He took up a low position as he began holding out the ball as a way of aiming, funny enough, once the moving lights hit his head we all began laughing. His bald head was so shiny that any light that hit it just reflected right off, we began losing our shit as Hendricks began filming it through teary eyes and a red face. He finally sent the thing down the alley and only managed to hit the single pin on the far right side, his next 2 were gutter balls.

He walked down with a smile on his face and his head down as we laughed at his expense. My name came up next as I stood up from my chair, I could already hear them heckling me as I did so. I turned around and smirked while silencing their shouts for distraction. "I'll have you know when I used to bowl here as I kid my family and I got real competitive, so watch your tongue." They all laughed at the comment as I grabbed the first ball. I whipped it down the lane, it spun right and knocked down 2 pins, leaving the middle and left side standing. The panel came down and sucked up the fallen pins as I grabbed the next ball, I blew on it and used my shirt to "clean" it as I went up once again. I slowed down my form and let the ball slip off my fingers and glide straight down the middle for a spare. I walked back like I had the biggest dick in the room, taking my seat and waiting for the next to go.

By the time we were done, Morrison, Hendricks, a guy named Jackson, and a guy named Taylor were stumbling around drunk as fuck. We escorted the guys outside and arranged guys to drive them home, I got lucky and was able to skip out on my drunk duty. When I got home I did my usual night routine and planned out tomorrow, I couldn't go to the station but there was a training center, the Vale Special Missions Tactical Training Center to be specific, that I could use. They had an outdoor range along with a whole bunch of indoor killhouse shit. I had a feeling that keeping my skills sharp would be beneficial, besides, I can't let THAT happen again. I had to get better, no matter what…

**Vale Special Missions Tactical Training Center**

**TTC**

**0537 Hours**

I slowed my breathing as I went through my progressions. I drew the pistol from my hip holster, the moment I felt the barrel leave the ceramics I tilted it up at my hip my left hand open on my chest. I then moved the weapon up the side of my body and up into my left hand, I then pressed it outwards in both hands. Slap, draw, grab, punch, that's what I had been taught. Glock 17, 17 rounds, 6 targets, 2 shots each. I activated the shot timer on my left hip and waited for the beep, relaxing my hands at my side and rolling my shoulders. My breath was the only sound in the cold air except the wind running through the outdoor range.

_**BEEP**_.

I slapped my chest violently as I gripped the pistol grip with my right hand and brought up the weapon to the hand on my chest. I then punched the weapon out as I brought it out to eye level and began applying pressure to the trigger. The familiar recoil from the gun brought my sights off target but my hands remained steady and the gun returned back on target quickly. The second shot rang out and a 'loud' clang of the metal being stuck by the bullet could be heard but the giant ear muffs on my head made it impossible to notice.

I moved my sights up diagonally to the right and struck another target, and then down to another. By the time I'd hit the final target around 1.78 seconds had passed, I let out a breath and watched fog appear out of mouth in the cold morning air. Placing the weapon in it's holster I made my way back to the table and began counting up all my times. I ran that circuit 4 times an averaged 1.89 seconds, a good time to be sure but I knew guys back in the station who would laugh at that. All I've got left is some work in the killhouse, I'll need to work on that. Last time we ran it I tripped while entering the doorway, thank god we were using dummy rounds, my weapon went off as I hit the floor too. Needless to say, not a good look for the new guy. I pressed myself up against the wall and held the barrel of my MK18 against the door frame. I envisioned the rest of my team in every position, I was the number 2 man, which meant I had to check the door and see if it was locked. If it was locked I'd pick it, if I couldn't pick it we'd get the number 4 guy to become the number 3 guy and hit it with the battering ram. Then he'd step back and we'd proceed as normal, if the door had to be blown open number 5 guy would come up and use a charge then proceed as normal and that wasn't even how to enter the room!

First, once the door was open or blown off, the number 1 guy would enter on the other side of the door handle and cut across my line of sight to the opposite side of the room. Then I'd enter and take the other side, then the 3rd guy would enter and take the middle. Number 1 to 3 would begin fanning out to the sides of the room with number 3 taking the opposite side of 2, and then the rest would enter and cover the room while then following the pattern of one to the 1 side and then one to the 2 side. All this could be hard to account for in every situation, are their civilians, what weapons do they have, do they know we're coming, what's the structure of the room, how many of them, should we use a banger or enter in dry? All of this had to be digested and met with an answer in seconds of setting up the stack and then communicated to the team, from there it was all about technique. God all that is a mouthful.

I grabbed the doorknob and twisted it open, I gave it a push and it swung open slamming against the wall. I envisioned the pointman entering from the otherside of the door from me, he cut across my line of sight and I quickly followed. I shot at a paper target standing behind a couch, another by a TV, and another against the wall. I kept moving to the right side of the room until I had almost circled it, and from there I left and did it again except this time from the 1 spot, and then the 3 spot, and 4 and 5 and so on. I kept going until my brain went on auto-pilot and the actions and the movement were just muscle-memory. It was now 8-something in the morning and the only reason I knew that was due to a call from my teammate. My phone buzzed in my pocket for around 2 seconds before I fished it out and brought it up to my ear. "Yello'?" There was a pause before Hendricks responded. "Will, you gotta check the news man!" I recoiled from my phone, what the hell? "Why, what's going on, dude?" He didn't reply as all I could hear was static and the sound of him moving quickly through a room. "It's fucken' crazy bro, there's a whole bunch of protests and riots all over Vale. Another Faunus got shot last night, guess they've had enough!" I swiped away from the call screen on my phone and went to my news app and true to his word, there was chaos all over the city. Every cop, firefighter, EMT, you name it, was scrambling to control the mess. "Um, okay are we gettin' called in?!" I was already packing my shit and running towards the door. "Nah man nobody on the team knows, not even Daniels. We're all just waiting!" I shoulder checked the door open and looked around, there was nothing in this district but i could hear the ruckus from here, there was even plumes of smoke in the distance.

"I recommend you get home man, Faunus and White Fang alike are hunting cops, shit's crazy!" He didn't need to tell me that, I told him I was on it and hung up the phone. The air felt hotter than usual as I jogged down the streets, not a single human was out right now just Faunus and the police. I dodged down alleys and took back streets just to avoid the mess but they were literally everywhere, shops were in flames and fights were breaking out. You could hear shots in the distance, echoing through the tall buildings that built the city. That's when I saw it, the little cafe, a group of Faunus in hoodies and dawning red bandanas around their faces were chucking rocks, bottles, and about anything heavy enough into the glass. Around them were maybe 30 more tearing up the streets and trashing vehicles. Inside I could see Tracy, she was cowering behind the counter alongside her coworker who I assume was that kid Becket. 5 rioters then began making their way into the store, one with a bat, and one with a knife, all of them equally looked like they wanted to hurt someone. I felt my hand drift towards my appendix carry, but I felt myself hesitating to grab it from under my shirt. Could I really do this again, was I willing to out myself as an officer and become their enemy if I wasn't already? Could I do what I needed to do to protect their lives and my own, could I really shoot again? Every officer takes an oath but I never did, I'm army, can I do this, will I do this?

My body answered for me as the Glock rose up from my waist and into both my hands, the sights trained on the group nearing Tracy and Becket. "POLICE!" I shouted at them, they insintinctively turned their heads and saw me. One was about to charge but another held him back and pointed to the gun, I kept the weapon aligned with them as I circled around them and into the store. I stepped in front of the counter and saw them both looking at me with pure fear in their eyes. They were terrified and scared for their lives, truth is, I was too. "STEP AWAY FROM THE BUILDING!" They continued standing their in defiance, refusing to comply to my orders. "STEP THE FUCK BACK!" They slowly inched backwards and as they did so I got Tracy and Becket to stand up and stay behind me. "Just follow me okay?" In the chaos I don't even think she knew who I was, but right now I just had to get them out. "No sudden movements, I will shoot if I have too." As I kept backing away with them behind me the group continued to follow us, I ordered them to stop but they continued nonetheless. Eventually they surrounded us and told both of them to get down as I began the standoff with the group, there were 5.

"Back away, I will fire on you if necessary." They continued standing there, I fired off a warning shot and they stuttered back before I fired off multiple in rapid succession and they began running away. I let out a breath of relief and looked down at them, "C'mon we can't stay out here." As the shock went away she finally recognized me, the other dude was just happy to be alive. "Williams, what are you? What's going on?!" I picked her up and did my best to stay focused on our survival. "Told you I was a cop didn't I, is there anyplace you know that's safe?" She thought for a moment before responding. "My boyfriends place, edge of the city, should be safe." She gave the address and we made our way along the outskirts of the city, in about 5 minutes we reached his place. The door opened cautiously and a peering eye was all that came out from behind it, but once it saw Tracy it swung open and she was immediately enveloped in a dark arms of an absolute tank of man. The man was bald and was buff, not muscular but buff, like bouncer big. I was intimidated even though I had a loaded gun in my hands, the 2 held each other tightly in relief. "Oh my god Tracy I thought you were dead, you weren't answering my calls.!" She just smiled, "I know, I know, I'm safe now… At least I am thanks to him." She gestured towards me and the mans face lit up like a christmas tree as I was also enveloped in a massive hug. "Thank you so much officer…" I had nothing on that would even indicate I was a cop, but the gun and the tactical pants may of given that impression. As he let go I gave a quick nod as the 3, yes including Becket, entered.

I made my way to the bottom of the steps before Tracy yelled out to me from the house. "You're going out there, are you crazy!" I just shrugged my shoulders and answered her question. "Kinda, there's still people out there I gotta get." The voice went timid before I left, "Be safe William…" I just nodded in response before jogging off into the morning streets of Vale. Today was gonna be a long damn day…

**I'll keep this short, time is not my friend, I'm trying to get these chapters out as quick as possible. However, I'm not even sure if this story is really liked so please leave a review so I can know if this story is even landing.**

**I'll write to you all in the next chapter.**


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